Facility Tours

Community Tours

Our goal is to provide an up-close look of the SWA’s Integrated Solid Waste Management System. See what happens when your garbage and recycling leave the curb. Gain a deeper understanding of why it is important to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rethink! waste.

Community Tours are scheduled by appointment only. Tours are offered twice a day, Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations must be made in advance by completing the Community Tour Request Form and receiving a final confirmation from the SWA Education staff. Children must be at least 9 years old to tour the facilities.

All attendees must sign and return theAdult Liability Waiver (PDF) before arriving at the SWA’s Education Center. Waivers can be faxed to 561-640-8956, Attention Education Department, oremailed.

Education Center

The starting point of Facility Tours

View of the Sky Bridge and Renewable Energy Facility 2 from the roof of the Education Center

Renewable Energy Facility 2

Where garbage is turned into electricity.

The Claw at Renewable Energy Facility 2

The claw can grab up to 9 tons of garbage at a time. It mixes the garbage and drops it into the incinerator.

SWA Bus

Sanitary Landfill

SWA Greenway Trail System

Butterfly Loop Entrance

Recovered Materials Processing Facility

All of the materials in your blue and yellow recycling bin are sorted and processed for market here.

Tour Description

The tour begins at the SWA’s LEED Platinum Education Center, where we test your recycling skills with an interactive learning experience. You will have the opportunity to walk across our 500 foot Sky Bridge (please wear closed-toe walking shoes) to Renewable Energy Facility 2, where we turn your garbage into electricity. There, you will witness the awe-inspiring sight of a massive claw grabbing up to nine tons of garbage at a time.

The tour continues as you board the SWA bus for a rolling tour through Renewable Energy Park. You will view Renewable Energy Facility 1, two Sanitary Landfills, the Home Chemical and Recycling Center, and the southern entrance to the SWA Greenway Trail System. The tour ends at our Recovered Materials Processing Facility where we see the innovative technology and manpower that sorts 100,000 tons of recycling each year.

*If your group needs special accommodations, please include any necessary information along with your Community Tour Request Form.